Many diseases, including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and drug addiction, have been linked to dysfunction in a brain system called the basal ganglia. Despite decades of research on this system, there are no long-term treatments or cures for these disorders. This proposal aims to use novel techniques to investigate the basal ganglia, and thereby identify novel strategies and insights for treating diseases of the basal ganglia. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Many diseases, including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and drug addiction, have been linked to dysfunction in a brain system called the basal ganglia. Despite decades of research on this system, there are no long-term treatments or cures for these disorders. This proposal aims to use novel techniques to investigate the basal ganglia, and thereby identify novel strategies and insights for treating diseases of the basal ganglia.